Francesca Mani, a Westfield High School sophomore, has been a strong advocate for implementing more secure laws surrounding AI-generated pornography after she was subjected to this cruel use of technology back in October of 2023. Unfortunately, at that time a fellow student at Westfield High School used a deep fake pornography app to create inappropriate and fake images of Mani, and other girls at WHS, including fake nude photos.
Of course Mani was devastated when she found out, but instead of not doing anything about it, she decided to take action by publicly addressing this issue. Mani and her mother went to the principal of WHS and then the school board, but were not satisfied with their response. The school board admitted that there were no laws in place to prevent this type of event from happening, meaning that the student was never held criminally responsible for his actions.
Mani, outraged at the unfairness of the situation, decided to take matters into her own hands, and started a campaign to initiate change. She began to speak publicly about her experience with deep fakes, prompting girls from around the world to write to her, sharing how they had been similarly targeted. Over the past year and a half, Mani and her mother traveled around the nation, advocating for the creation of new laws preventing deep fakes, or the production of deceptive audio or visual media.
One of her trips included an excursion to the White House in Washington, D.C., in 2023 to attend President Biden’s State of the Union Address. Invited by Congressman Tom Kean Jr, she listened to Biden’s speech about the main problems America was/is facing such as, abortion rights, the war in Ukraine, and many other topics. Mani found the speech, “…very inspiring and touching too. Despite the late hour, well past midnight when it ended, and the exhaustion from the excitement…I felt invigorated.”
In the following months, Mani worked hard to advocate for a bill that would make AI pornography illegal, meaning there would be criminal charges. The bill is called The Take It Down Act and is co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar. The bill would not only create criminal penalties for sharing AI nudes, but also establish requirements that social media companies take photos down within 48 hours of getting a request. On February 13th, 2025, her bill passed the Senate unanimously, and the House of Representatives on April 28th. Finally, Mani was invited to the White House on May 19th to witness the final signing of the bill by President Trump after tirelessly campaigning for the bill to become a law.
Almost two years after the incident, Mani finally saw the results of all her hard work and dedication. Her story is an inspiration to young girls across the world, as it shows the empowerment that women can have, even when facing the most difficult situations. While one can only hope that what happened to Mani never occurs again, Mani’s legacy of standing up for herself and others will hopefully guide future generations of women.